Foods from India - South India

April 21, 2017

My mom’s cook Neelam has a reputation of cooking up delicious vegetable dishes. It’s her thing!

So last weekend mom emailed a recipe for Kerala Style choley a.k.a. chick peas or garbanzo beans, that she swore would knock my socks off. To be fair she sent it for her grand kids and not actually me or My Hubby.

But that seems to be the way things go when mother’s become grand mothers. As she like to say, “the interest is much more attractive than the capital!"

So off I went and took the guesstimate email and turned into a full blown recipe. And mom was right, it's fabulous!

As in most Indian recipes, we always begin with dried chick peas, soaked overnight and then cooked in a pressure cooker but you boil them just on a stove pot but be aware it will take longer. You can also do this the previous day to save time which is what I would recommend.

The spices and masala paste is the stuff of dreams so even though it may seem a bit tedious but don’t be put off. It’s well worth the little bit of extra effort!

Thanks mom! And a big thanks to Neelam for getting my taste buds going with this one!

Gather the ingredients,

1 lb dried chickpeas (chole) - not canned

plenty of water to soak overnight (to be discarded)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tbs salt

enough water to fill the pot 1/2" above the level of the chickpeas

~

Masala:

yellow onions, yield 3 cups sliced

1/2 tsp salt

3 plum tomatoes

10 garlic cloves, peeled

2” fresh ginger root,

10 curry leaves or 1 large sprig

3 tbs dried coriander seeds

2 tbs poppy seeds

2” piece cinnamon bark

4 cloves

2-4 whole dried red chilies - more if extra heat is desired

1-1/2 tsp black peppercorns

1/2 cup grated or shredded coconut (defrosted and measured if frozen)

1/4 cup + 2 tbs vegetable, grape seed or canola oil

Also, a food processor capable of making fine pastes

Spices & Seasonings:

3/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground red chilies

1 tbs tomato paste

2 tbs chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

Chickpeas: Soak overnight in plenty of water. The next day discard the water and replace with 12 cups fresh tap water. Add salt and baking soda. Ideally cook in a pressure cooker for approx. 20 minutes or so on medium heat. Turn off stove and set aside until pressure is released naturally (approx. 30 minutes). Alternatively, you can cook the chickpeas on a stove top for approx. 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender.

Add the cinnamon, cloves, red chilies, black pepper stir. Add tomatoes and saute for another 5-10 minutes until they have softened. Set aside and cool for 15 minutes or so. Grind to a fine paste in a food processor with 1/4 cup water.

In a heavy bottom saute pan, large enough to hold all the chickpeas, heat 2 tbs oil on medium heat. Add the ground masala paste and saute for 7-10 minutes stirring constantly until oil begins to simmer around the edges.

Add the cooked chickpeas and as much liquid so there is just enough gravy for the chickpeas without being too watery.

Stir to thoroughly combine the masala paste with the chickpeas. Add the turmeric, red chilly powder & tomato paste & stir to combine. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes until all the flavors meld. Taste and adjust seasonings. Just before serving, garnish with some chopped cilantro leaves.

Serve with paratha or steamed white rice or pooris.

Enjoy!

Recipe for

Kerala Style Masala Chole ~ Spicy Chickpeas from Kerala, India

Note: Begin the recipe the previous night by soaking the chickpeas in water

Shopping list

1 lb dried chickpeas (chole) - not canned

plenty of water to soak overnight (to be discarded)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tbs salt

enough water to fill the pot 1/2" above the level of the chickpeas

~

Masala:

yellow onions, yield 3 cups sliced

1/2 tsp salt

3 plum tomatoes

10 garlic cloves, peeled

2” fresh ginger root,

10 curry leaves or 1 large sprig

3 tbs dried coriander seeds

2 tbs poppy seeds

2” piece cinnamon bark

4 cloves

2-4 whole dried red chilies - more if extra heat is desired

1-1/2 tsp black peppercorns

1/2 cup grated or shredded coconut (defrosted and measured if frozen)

1/4 cup + 2 tbs vegetable, grape seed or canola oil

Also, a food processor capable of making fine pastes

Spices & Seasonings:

3/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground red chilies

1 tbs tomato paste

2 tbs chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

Preparation:

Chickpeas: Soak overnight in plenty of water. The next day discard the water and replace with 12 cups fresh tap water. Add salt and baking soda. Ideally cook in a pressure cooker for approx. 20 minutes or so on medium heat. Turn off stove and set aside until pressure is released naturally (approx. 30 minutes). Alternatively, you can cook the chickpeas on a stove top for approx. 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender.

Onions: Peel, discard ends and slice.

Ginger: Do not peel. Roughly chop and set aside.

Tomatoes: Wash, cut and discard woody end. Roughly chop and set aside

Method:

Masala paste:

In a heavy bottom pan, heat the oil until very hot.

Add the onions and saute for 7-10 minutes with 1/2 tsp salt until a light brown.

Add the cinnamon, cloves, red chilies, black pepper stir. Add tomatoes and saute for another 5-10 minutes until they have softened.

Set aside and cool for 15 minutes or so. Grind to a fine paste in a food processor with 1/4 cup water.

In a heavy bottom saute pan, large enough to hold all the chickpeas, heat 2 tbs oil on medium heat.

Add the ground masala paste and saute for 7-10 minutes stirring constantly until oil begins to simmer around the edges.

Add the cooked chickpeas and as much liquid so there is just enough gravy for the chickpeas without being too watery.

Stir to thoroughly combine the masala paste with the chickpeas. Add the turmeric, red chilly powder & tomato paste & stir to combine. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes until all the flavors meld. Taste and adjust seasonings. Just before serving, garnish with some chopped cilantro leaves.

May 03, 2014

From the North Indian tomato laden Kadhai’s to this fragrant kari leaves and black pepper version from the Malabar coast of Kerela. Jumbo prawns are quickly stir fried in a thick masala paste made with fresh ingredients like ginger, garlic and spices – turmeric, red chilly powder and of course Tellicherry pepper corns.

Some of India’s finest pepper corns hails from Tellicherry on the Malabar coast. These pungent, full flavored peppercorns are considered the black gold of the region. In this recipe, the black peppercorns are roughly broken down and then ground with the remaining ingredients to make the paste.

Beware! Do not substitute for ground peppercorns in the same proportion. The masala paste will be so spicy that you’ll pop a nerve! That is unless you have a lead lined tummy. Ha..ha…

This is a spin off of my favorite chicken that I had posted a while ago – you’ll find that here.

But I love this prawn version because a) it’s prawns b) can be put together in a few minutes flat c) great for potlucks

August 22, 2013

The cuisine of India shows no dearth in the number of ways to prepare a bird!

One can spend a lifetime going from state to state and community to community with their many variations & numerous nuances all in the quest to making that humble albeit unforgettable chicken 'curry' i.e. chicken masala or kura.

This version comes from traditional Andhra cuisine from the state of Andhra Pradesh which is in Southern India on the Eastern coastline. Mind you each region of Andhra Pradesh brings form its own classic chicken which varies depending on religious and cultural back grounds.

Needless to say, ingredients classic to South Indian cuisine take center stage in this dish namely curry leaves and coconut.

I have often said, that there is no 'one-fits-all' spice blend in Indian cuisine and each spice mixture is blended, roasted and ground for each recipe for a truly authentic and traditional experience.

May 07, 2013

Chicken 65 is a popular chicken snack to come out of Madras in Southern India and is now popular all over the world with its tantalizing fiery hot flavors.

Boneless chicken is first marinated in ground spices, flour and ginger-garlic paste. It is then deep fried and finished when it is sauteed with curry leaves, 'as many chillies as your stomach lining can handle' and yogurt.

The result is a fun and what I like to call toothpick-party-snack. The spicy flavors as you can imagine does justice to tall glass of cold beer.

How the name chicken 65 came along is heavily steeped folk lore. Some say it has to do with the fact that it was created in a Madras restaurant in 1965 and some say 65 was the number of spices or chillies used.

How anyone lived to tell the tale after ingesting 65 chillies is anyone's guess!

Rest assured, chicken 65 by any other name would be just as scintillating, fiery and hot.

November 04, 2012

I recently posted an incredible Bengali Tomato and date chutney from India. You could eat it by the bowlful.

This right here is diametrically opposite. Think Fifty Shades Of Grey. Oh! you'll want some - just not in bowlfuls.

The heat will hit you after the first bite, the spicy oil will continue the torment and the scented curry leaves and garlic will make you want more. So good with all kinds of dal-rice combinations, I adore a spoonful even on pan-fried fish!

Eaten in little spoonfuls, the asafoetida, mustard spices, hot peppers and tomatoes have all the making of a great chutney. A must-have with Bisi Bele Huliyanna rice, the secret lies in the slow-sauteing the tomatoes so they release all their juices and mush down to one intense heap.

Like many good things in life, slow and steady is the name of this game err..chutney.

October 31, 2012

Unlike the North-Indian pulao, the rice does not make a stand of indivuality, nor does it make a pompous appearance but rather concedes defeat for the greater good of the dish all around.

The consistency is very much between congee and breakfast oatmeal - thick and mushy.

This all vegetarian rice dish with a fun name like Bisi-Bele (pronounce like Pele the soccer player) Huliyanna simpply means hot lentil rice with Huliyanna spices. Except there's nothing simple about it. The flavors are complex with its palimpsest of flavors and the end result, explosive.

I have had even devout non-vegetarians swoon at it's feet.

As you scroll down the list of ingredients, you'll probably feel a migraine coming on and this especially if your idea of cooking is slapping on peanut butter on jelly on a slice of bread. Being funny aside, most of the dish can be prepared in advance so does it have a few steps? Yes. Is it hard to put together? No.

In fact, this is a ideal dish for company and special occasions because it's a crowd pleaser and once it makes an appearance from the refrigerator from the day before, it will take a mere 10 minutes to set at the table.

Serve with this incrediblehot & spicy tomato & garlic chutney and fried poppadoms and not only will you have one gorgeous feast but who ever is lucky enough to be invited will be talking about your culinary prowess for time to come!

My mother has always admired strong spirited women
- being one herself & coming from a family of such women, this comes as no surprise.

I have always seen my mother heavily involved in community service. She once took on the daunting task of planting & maintaining 100 trees in the streets of our suburb in Mumbai. One day I came home from school to find her knee deep in earthworms because she decided that the redundant triangular patch of dirt outside our kitchen window, in our apartment building would best serve as a vermicompost pit.

Needless to say, she's also the one with the heartiest laughter in the room!

I would often hear her speak of a women she admired one of whom was Thangam. E. Phillip who was best known for her role as the Dean of Dadar Catering College in Mumbai & her philanthropy as she worked to launch the UN's Freedom From Hunger campaign

Her pinnacle of recognition was when she earned India's highest honor the Padmashree, for her service to the development of hotel and catering education & was honored with the Knighthood of
the Order of "Cordon Bleu Du Sant Esprit' from France.

This is her recipe and has been a staple in my mother's kitchen and this recipe along with the memories of her story continue to reside in mine.

Black
Tellicherry peppercorns are some of the finest in the world with
their large size and robust, pungent flavors & heady aroma. They
reign supreme in the town of Tellicherry
on the Malabar Coast of Southern India.

It would be best to seek Tellicherry peppercorns for this recipe but you may substitute with regular peppercorns. Omission of kari leaves however, is not recommended. These are easily available at an Indo-Pak grocery store.

Chicken - Skin the chicken & cut at all the joints. Cut the each breast into 4 pieces. Cut & discard excess fat.

Garlic - Peel & set aside

Ginger - Peel & roughly chop

Cilantro - Wash
leaves, discard stems & finely chop. Place in a bowl of water till
ready to use. Discard water & drain before using as a garnish

Masala {Spice} Paste- In
a mini chopper place the peppercorns and pulverize till the peppercorns
have broken down into small pieces. Add the ginger, garlic, turmeric
powder, red chilly powder, salt and finely chop for a few seconds. Add 6-8 tbs water and blend to a fine paste.

Place the chicken in a large pan. Pour the masala paste over the chicken. Rinse the mini-chopper bowl with 1/3 cup water and our over the chicken. Stir to mix.

Over medium heat, allow the chicken to cook, covered with a tight lid, for 30 minutes.

In the meanwhile prepare the onions -

Yellow onions - Peel & roughly quarter. In a rinsed out mini chopper, chop till fine. Do not allow it to turn into a paste.

In a separate large saute pan (large enough to accommodate the chicken) heat the vegetable oil till fuming. Add the curry leaves & as soon as it sizzles, add the chopped onions.

Saute over medium heat for 15-20 minutes till onions are soft and very light brown.

Once the chicken has been cooking for 30 minutes transfer the chicken to the onions and stir till well mixed. Cook for about another 15 minutes covered with a tight lid till the chicken is soft & completely cooked.

Indian meals are traditionally served in metal plates called thalis
like the one in the pic above.
These are made of metal - Gold for kings, stainless steel & brass
for daily use. Silver thalis are reserved for special
occasions.

Since this chicken is traditional to South India, it is eaten with plain steamed rice. The chicken is very tender & moist and the flavors of the peppercorns though robust, is subdued and adds just the right touch of heat without setting your mouth on fire.

The flavors & aroma of the spices and the peppercorns is mouthwatering and savory. The meal was delicious & was devoured by the kids as well.

I also love how easy and uncomplicated a preparation it is for a weeknight dinner. A simple tomato, cucumber, cilantro salad & a lemon vinaigrette on the side is a refreshing accompaniment.

Recipe for

TELLICHERRY PEPPER CHICKEN

Preparation time - 10 minutes

Cooking Time - 45 minutes

Serves 4

Shopping
list

Young whole chicken, defrosted

2 small yellow onions

1 strand kari leaves

4 tbs vegetable oil

1/3 cup water

4-5 sprigs cilantro

Masala {Spice} paste -

1/2 tsp red chilly powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbs Tellicherry peppercorns

1 tsp cumin seeds

8 garlic cloves

1" piece fresh ginger root

1-1/2 tsp salt

6-8 tbs water

Preparation -

Chicken - Skin the chicken & cut at all the joints. Cut the each breast into 4 pieces. Cut & discard excess fat.

Garlic - Peel & set aside

Ginger - Peel & roughly chop

Cilantro - Wash leaves, discard stems & finely chop. Place in a bowl of water till ready to use. Discard water & drain before using as a garnish

Masala {Spice} Paste- In
a mini chopper place the peppercorns and pulverize till the peppercorns
have broken down into small pieces. Add the ginger, garlic, turmeric
powder, red chilly powder, salt and finely chop for a few seconds. Add 6-8 tbs water and blend to a fine paste.

Yellow onions - Peel & roughly quarter. In a rinsed out mini chopper, chop till fine. Do not allow it to turn into a paste.

Cooking Method -

Place the chicken in a large pan. Pour the masala paste over the chicken. Rinse the mini-chopper bowl with 1/3 cup water and our over the chicken. Stir to mix.

Over medium heat, allow the chicken to cook, covered with a tight lid, for 30 minutes.

In a large separate saute pan (large enough to accommodate the chicken) heat
the vegetable oil till fuming. Add the curry leaves & as soon as it
sizzles, add the chopped onions.

Saute over medium heat for 15-20 minutes till onions are soft and very light brown.

Once the chicken has been cooking for 30 minutes transfer the chicken to the onions and stir till well mixed.

Cook for about another 15 minutes covered with a tight lid till the chicken is soft & completely cooked.